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中新网评：美国众议长选举“连续剧”暴露美式民主痼疾******
中新网北京1月9日电(蒋鲤)在15轮投票表决后，美国众议院议长选举这场“连续剧”终于落下帷幕，众议院共和党领袖凯文•麦卡锡最终成功当选第55任美国众议院议长。这是美国国会过去164年来耗时最久的一次议长选举记录，将美国“对抗式民主”的弊端暴露无遗。
资料图：美国众议院共和党领袖麦卡锡。中新社记者 沙晗汀 摄由于两党对立加剧、党派内斗、利益分配不均等因素，众议长选举陷入一场拉锯战。在此次众议长竞选中，美国民主党议员继续抱团，多轮投票中，一票不投麦卡锡，共和党右翼“强硬派”领头的约20人小团体也拒绝投票麦卡锡。
麦卡锡的当选之路一波三折，除了本人的“政治投机派”角色在国会不受欢迎外，与共和党内部政治分歧关系密切。
一方面，共和党党内反对者认为，麦卡锡对民主党态度过于软弱，无力对抗民主党控制的参议院和拜登政府，另一方面，因为共和党的多数优势微弱，党内一些影响力较小的派系的政治力量则被放大，有利于他们巩固自己的选票。
此外，党内反对者也认为，自己的选票没有换取更多利益，希望以此作为筹码换取麦卡锡更大的让步，比如让他们获得众议院重要委员会中的职务。
作为仅次于美国总统、副总统的政坛三号人物，众议院议长通常由众议院多数党领袖担任，选举几乎没有悬念。然而，麦卡锡此次为当选，不得不做出多个关键让步，其中可能包括恢复一项罢黜议长动议机制，使得众议长的权力被削弱，难以掌控众议院。
美国有线电视新闻网CNN称，麦卡锡在这场不合时宜的政治勒索中作出让步，这种绥靖政策只会让极端主义势力更加强大。
这场引发全世界围观的尴尬选举暴露出美国政治存在严重的对立和分化。在权力博弈思维的裹挟下，党派利益凌驾于国家和人民利益之上，美国两党相互拆台，陷入“为反对而反对”的无脑对垒。而即便是一党内，也会因为利益分配问题产生不同的小派系，相互对抗，选票变成了谋利益的工具。
从国会山骚乱到打破记历史记录的15轮众议长选举，“对抗式民主”让美国政治陷入瓶颈，长期对抗势必会让政客们丧失客观公正的判断能力，其政治阶层是否有能力治理国家也会引发质疑。
两党之争和党派内斗进一步放大了美国政治体制弊病，美国所谓的“民主”形象，让全世界大跌眼镜。鼓吹以选民利益为先的美式选举，变成了政客们利益置换的游戏，进一步彰显出美国“民主政治”日渐失能，不断极化的党争已使美国政治制度陷入死循环。
House speaker election reveals deep-rooted problems in U.S. democracy
(ECNS) -- The Republican leader Kevin McCarthy was elected as the 55th speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives after 15 ballots. As the most grueling House speaker election in the past 164 years, the election has highlighted the defects of the country’s "confrontational democracy".
The election once reached a stalemate due to intense partisan strife, inner-party struggle among the Republicans, uneven distribution of interests, and more. Democratic Party members forged a close alliance, refusing to vote for McCarthy, while about 20 Republicans also declined to cast ballots for the GOP leader.
Except for his unpopular role as a "political speculator" in Congress, McCarthy’s hard-won election can be attributed to turmoil within the Republican Party.
On the one hand, opponents in the Republican Party believe that the GOP leader's attitude toward the Democrats is too weak to confront the Senate controlled by Democrats and the Biden administration.
On the other hand, the political power of some less influential factions in the Republican Party has been amplified due to the Party’s weak majority advantage in the House of Representatives, which is conducive to consolidating their ticket warehouses.
Meanwhile, these opponents believe that their votes failed to win them more benefits, hoping to use this as a bargaining chip for McCarthy's further concessions, such as getting them positions in important House Committees.
As the third political figure after the President and Vice President of the U.S., the speaker, by tradition, is the head of the majority party in the House of Representatives.
But McCarthy has made many concessions in order to bring the ultra conservatives along, involving what’s known as the “motion to vacate,” a mechanism by which members can force a vote to depose the speaker. The reported concessions will empower individual members at the expense of McCarthy’s sway as speaker.
CNN thought the concessions he made during this unseemly political shakedown would only make the extremist faction more powerful.
This embarrassing election, which has drawn global attention, exposed the serious opposition and polarization in American politics. Both Democrats and Republicans put their interests before that of the country and its people, attacking and opposing each other irrationally.
Besides, different factions arise within a single party and confront each other because of the distribution of interests. Votes have become a tool to win more benefits.
From Capitol riots to the House Speaker election with record-breaking ballots, "confrontational democracy" has become a bottleneck of American politics. Long-term confrontation will surely impede politicians to think objectively and fairly while their capacity of governing the country will also raise doubts among the public.
Both parties’ struggle and infighting among the Republicans have further amplified the defects of the American political system, with its "democratic" image shocking the world.
The U.S.-style election, which advocates putting voters' interests first, has become a game of interest exchange among politicians. In addition, it further demonstrates the malfunction of American "democratic politics" and the constantly polarized party struggle that has trapped the American political system into an infinite cycle.
什么是礼乐文化？礼以修身，乐以化心****** 中新网12月20日电 近日，清华大学首批文科资深教授、《百家讲坛》名师彭林举行了一场直播连线，带领读者品读自己的作品《礼乐中国》，体会博大精深的礼乐文化。 直播中，彭林教授首先讲述了这本书的写作缘起。受电视剧等影响，现在一提到礼乐，有的人认为是“封建遗存”，有的人联想到的是磕头、作揖，其实这些都是对礼乐文化的误解和片面解读。  《礼乐中国》。图片来源：浙江文艺出版社供图作为历史学者，彭林多年来一直致力于传播礼乐文化。他希望通过礼乐，树立国人的文化自尊、文化自觉和文化自律。 接着，彭林阐释了“礼”和“乐”的内涵和关联。 《礼记》说：“礼也者，理也。” 礼，是贯穿万物之理的规范。理无处不在，礼亦无处不在。鞠躬、作揖这些外在形式只是礼的细枝末节。 《管子·牧民》说：“仓廪实而知礼节，衣食足而知荣辱。” 物质生活达到一定的水平，不愁吃穿了，就会追求精神层面的发展，讲究礼节，明辨荣辱，使自己的生活更有品质。 中国文化以“人”为中心，以人如何通过修身，从一个动物学意义上的人成长为道德意义上的完人，作为人生的必修课。礼是做人的规范，所以这一过程，是借由学礼、践行礼来完成的。 和“礼”一样，“乐”也是一个民族的文明发展到一定程度的产物。中国古人将今人所说的“音乐”，拆分为由低到高的三个层次，分别称之为声、音、乐。其中“乐”是最高层次，具有道德教化的功能，正所谓“德音之谓乐”。 儒家修身的内容涉及日常生活的各个方面，其大要则包括内与外两个方面。所谓内，是懂得用思想纯正、风格典雅、中正平和，具有道德教化作用的雅乐陶冶心性，养心怡情。所谓外，是懂得用礼约束自己的行为，消除戾气，拒绝粗俗，懂得遵守社会秩序，尊重他人，与人为善，谈吐典雅，涵养德性，变化气质。  图片来源：浙江文艺出版社供图礼以修身，乐以化心。礼乐双修，就是内外兼修。“礼乐皆得，谓之有德”，彬彬然有君子之风。 最后，彭林分享了古今两个礼乐小故事，提出没有经过礼乐熏陶的人生，是不完美的人生。 据介绍，《礼乐中国》兼具通俗性与专业性，全书精选《礼记》《论语》《左传》等典籍中有关礼乐文化的格言名句100余句，每句礼乐格言下皆有译注和析义。 此外，书中还配有许多与礼乐文化相关的图片，进一步丰富了全书的内容。彩插中的礼仪复原图实属珍贵，由彭林教授独家授权，来源于其课题项目。根据《周礼》《仪礼》《礼记》等古籍中对于古代礼仪和音乐的文字记述，彭林教授团队对古代礼仪进行了复原，如《周代婚礼夫妇对食礼仪复原图》等。(完)
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